Their Favorite Time of the Year
by articcat621
Summary: Draco and Hermione love this time of the year. It's a perfect time for reminiscing and family bonding.


A/N: This was originally written for the HP Mini Fest on LJ. Many thanks to Krissy, krazyredhead0317 , Muggle Jane, JenniseiBlack for being my fantastic team of alphas/betas. I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

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><p><strong>Their Favorite Time of the Year<strong>

Hermione Malfoy looked up at the tall Christmas tree that her husband had picked out this year. It was much larger than usual and it took up a lot of space in their sitting room.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Draco asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her neck. "Just like you."

Hermione laughed. "I'm glad you still think I'm beautiful after twenty years."

"I'll always find you beautiful," Draco responded, nuzzling her neck as his hands slowly crept under her shirt. "My beautiful, sexy, wife."

"Daddy!" Their five-year-old daughter, Cressida, ran into the room. She ran towards Draco, who quickly removed his hands from Hermione's waist.

Scorpius, their twelve-year-old son, entered the room not long after. "Can we decorate the tree now, Mum?"

"Of course," Hermione answered. "The box of ornaments is right over there."

Cressida and Scorpius moved towards the ornaments. They both peered into the box, astonished looks on their faces.

"Mummy, how do you have so many ornaments?"

Hermione smiled fondly, thinking back on all the memories. "Your father and I get a new ornament every year. They are all very special to us both as they all represent a special memory."

Cressida made an excited noise. She reached in the box and pulled out an ornament that was shaped oddly. "What is this?" she asked, holding it in the air.

Draco burst out laughing. "That is the cheesiest ornament your mother ever got," he explained.

Hermione sent Draco a scolding look. "It's a golden ravioli," she explained to her daughter. "Ravioli is a type of pasta that's usually filled with cheese or meat. When we visited Italy on our five year anniversary, I wanted to find an ornament that was unique."

"Unique?" Draco asked. He shook his head, smirking. "It's the strangest thing I've ever seen."

"Well, I like it!" Cressida declared before running over to hang it on the tree.

"What about this one?" Scorpius asked, holding up a small piano. He pushed a tiny button on it and it began to play music. "Why doesn't it play music automatically? Is it Muggle?"

"All of the ornaments are Muggle," Hermione explained. "The song it's playing is called 'Silent Night.'"

"I remember hearing it at Midnight Mass with Grandma and Grandpa," Scorpius said. "I like it."

"We got it at Christkindlmarkt," Draco explained as Scorpius hung it on the tree. "That's a sort of Muggle fair where people come to sell their goods."

Hermione smiled at Draco lovingly. This was her favorite time of the holidays. She could reminiscence about all of the adventures that she and Draco had shared over the years. Each ornament was bringing up memories that she would always cherish. Every Christmas, she would fall in love with her husband even more. Hermione loved it.

"Mummy, what is this?" Cressida asked, holding up another ornament. This one was as a pig wearing a tutu.

Hermione cringed at the sight of that ornament. "Well, sweetheart, that ornament was a gift from my mum, your grandmum. She gave it to your father and me our first Christmas together."

"It's hideous," Draco said, grinning.

Laughing, Hermione nodded in agreement. "It is rather ugly. I don't know where my mother got it, but I'll never forget when she gave it to us. Your father turned a lovely shade of purple trying to hold in his laughter. He did it until he couldn't hold it back any longer. He had to leave the room to let it out."

Scorpius and Cressida turned to their father for confirmation.

Draco nodded. "I had to go to the bathroom and laugh. I couldn't hold it back any longer. It was just too funny." He walked over and picked Cressida up. He brought her towards the tree and held her up so Cressida could hang the ornament high up. When she finished, he put her down and she ran back towards the box.

"Why is this one a pickle?" Scorpius asked, grinning.

Draco grinned. "We got that when we went to Germany on holiday. They have a tradition there. They'd hang the ornament on the tree and whomever found the ornament first would get an extra little gift and be the first to open the Christmas gifts."

"Why don't we do that?" Cressida asked. She looked up at her father, her silver eyes wide as a small pout formed on her face.

Draco snorted, shaking his head. He wouldn't fall victim to his daughter's charm. "Because we're not German," he explained. "Now go put it on the tree."

"All right," Scorpius said, doing as his father told him.

Hermione reached into the box and pulled out a glass slipper. "This one is my favorite," she showed Scorpius and Cressida. "We got it when we to Disneyland Paris. We took you when you were five, Scorpius."

"I remember," Scorpius said, grinning. "We went on all those rides together and Dad got sick."

"Yes, he did," Hermione said with a giggle. "He threw up four times in one day."

"Hey!" Draco protested. "Those Muggle rides went very fast. It's easy for someone to get sick on them."

"Sure, Dad," Scorpius said, giving his father a cheeky grin.

"Daddy? Mummy? Can we to Disneyland?" Cressida asked. "I want to go on the rides."

Hermione and Draco shared looks. Smiling, Hermione moved towards Cressida. "I'm sure we may be able to work something out. You have to be a good girl, though, and earn it. All right?"

Cressida nodded happily. "Yes, Mummy."

Hermione smiled before moving towards the tree. She hung up the glass slipper before turning back towards her family. She watched as Scorpius peered into the box. Cressida did the same, a small smile on her face.

"Mum, Dad, will you explain them all to us?" Scorpius asked.

"But it's getting rather late," Draco said. "It's almost your bedtime."

"Please," Cressida begged. "We want to know more about how you and Mummy got all these cool ornaments."

Hermione and Draco shared a look and then Draco nodded. "All right, we'll explain the ornaments. This is a special treat, however, so don't expect to stay up late tomorrow night."

"We won't," Cressida and Scorpius replied in unison.

"Okay, what one next?" Hermione asked, watching as they both moved towards the box. She knew that it would take some time to explain them all, but she didn't mind one bit. She loved her family and was more than happy to share her memories with her children.

Draco moved towards Hermione's side. He wrapped his arm around her lovingly. "We didn't get an ornament for this year," he said, frowning.

Hermione smiled happily. "I wouldn't be too sure of that." She reached into her pocket and pulled out an ornament that was shaped as a pair of pink baby shoes.

Draco's eyes lit up. "Are we really?"

She nodded, happily. "I just found out a few days ago and thought this would be a good moment to tell you."

"I love you," he murmured before kissing her passionately. When he finished, he went and added the pink baby shoes to the tree. Stepping back, he looked at his loving family and smiled.

He loved this time of the year.


End file.
